Another monster movie is taking shape at Universal, and the studio has snagged their biggest star yet for this project. Ryan Gosling is set to star in a new Wolfman movie that’s being developed at the studio.
Interestingly, the project is actually based on a pitch by Gosling himself, who had also considered directing the film too. However, that is no longer the case, and the studio is targeting Cory Finley (Thoroughbreds, Bad Education) to direct from a script written by Rebecca Angelo and Lauren Schuker Blum.
It’s still unclear what this new take on the iconic monster will look like, however reports suggest that it will be set in present day and feature a dark tone similar to the Jake Gyllenhaal thriller Nightcrawler and the classic 70s drama Network. Gosling will reportedly play an anchorman who gets infected, and may begin his transformation in front of news cameras, hence the Network comparisons.
This sounds great, and it’s excellent news that Universal looks to have taken all the right lessons from The Invisible Man. Take your existing IP and allow filmmakers to shape it into a fresh, contemporary film with only tangential links to the original character. A much preferable concept to just remaking old films or making belated sequels.
Even though Universal’s disastrous MCU-rip off Dark Universe is dead, the studio is developing an interesting set of monster movies.
Alongside Wolfman, the studio also has Paul Feig helming The Dark Army, John Krasinski directing The Bride Of Frankenstein, and James Wan developing an untitled monster movie. If they can all take a similar approach to adapting their monsters for contemporary times, Universal could have a really interesting set of interconnected genre films on their hands.
Finley is a great upcoming talent whose first two films have both been excellent. Angelo and Schuker Blum have both written on Orange Is The New Black and have also penned the Zoe Quinn movie Control Alt Delete. Collaborating with Gosling should rocket Wolfman towards the top of many people’s Most Anticipated lists.
#Peace.Love.Wolfman
